Headache

Pain - head; Rebound headaches; Medication overuse headaches; Medicine overuse headaches

A headache is pain or discomfort in the head, scalp, or neck. Serious causes of headaches are rare. Most people with headaches can feel much better by making lifestyle changes, learning ways to relax, and sometimes by taking medicines.

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  • Cluster headache - Animation

    Cluster headache

    Animation

    • Cluster headache - Animation

    Do you sometimes feel really bad pain on one side of your head and face? Do your eyes tear up at the same time? If so, you may be experiencing a cluster headache. Cluster headaches are a fairly common form of repeated headaches. Men get them more often than women, usually in adolescence and middle age. And they tend to run in families. Although we don't know why they happen, they appear to be related to your body releasing chemicals when you encounter things like alcohol, high altitudes, bright light, and heat, among other triggers like certain foods. A cluster headache starts suddenly, and it can be severe. It commonly strikes two to three hours after you fall asleep. But you might get one while you're awake too. Either way, you'll tend to get a headache at the same time of day. The pain typically occurs on one side of your head. You may feel like your head is burning, and the pain will probably be sharp and steady, the worst of it often lasting as long as two hours. You may get headaches daily for months, which is why they're called cluster headaches. Then they may go away for months, only to come back. Your doctor will give you a physical exam and ask questions about your symptoms and medical history. You may need an MRI to rule out other headache causes. Unfortunately, treatment won't cure your cluster headaches, but it should relieve your symptoms. Your doctor will ask you to avoid things that seem to trigger your headaches. You may need medicines such as triptans, several weeks of an anti-inflammatory steroid, oxygen therapy, or even injections of a drug that can stop a headache in five minutes. Call for an appointment with your doctor if cluster headaches do not respond to treatment, if they disturb sleep, if they happen whenever you are active, or are accompanied by other symptoms. Emergency symptoms include drowsiness, vision changes, changes in movement or sensation, seizures, changes in alertness, and nausea or vomiting. Cluster headaches aren't life-threatening, but they ARE chronic and often painful enough to interfere with your work and daily life. But if you don't smoke or drink alcohol, and stay away from other triggers, you can avoid a lot of your headaches.

  • Tension headache - Animation

    Tension headache

    Animation

    • Tension headache - Animation

    Do you often feel pain or discomfort in your head, scalp, or neck? Do your muscles get tight in these areas? If the answer is yes, you may suffer from tension headaches. Tension headaches are one of the most common forms of headaches. You can get them at any age, but they mostly happen in adults and adolescents. Tension headaches occur when your neck and scalp muscles get tense, or contract. These muscle contractions can typically be a response to stress, depression, a head injury, or anxiety. Often, you can get a tension headache when you hold your head in one position for a long time without moving it. Prime examples are typing at a computer, doing fine work with your hands, and using a microscope. You can even get a tension headache from sleeping in a cold room, from a cold, from drinking too much alcohol or caffeine, or from dental problems. If you have tension headaches, you'd probably describe your pain as being Dull, pressure-like and not throbbing. You may say it feels like a tight band or vice around your head. It may be all over, not just in one point or on one side of your head or it could be worse in your scalp, temples, or the back of your head, and maybe even your shoulders. Your doctor will ask you about what may be triggering your headaches. In fact, it's a good idea to keep a diary when you get headaches, and take it with you when you see your doctor. When you get a headache, write down the day and time the pain began. Include notes about what you ate and drank in the previous 24 hours, how much you slept and when, and what was going on in your life immediately before the pain started. Write down how long the headache lasted, and what made it stop. For some people, taking hot or cold showers or baths may relieve a headache. You may need to make lifestyle changes if you have a lot of tension headaches. For example, you made need to change your sleep habits, usually you'll need more sleep, get more exercise, and stretch your neck and back muscles. Your doctor may tell you to take over-the-counter painkillers, such as aspirin, ibuprofen, or acetaminophen if relaxation techniques do not work. If you plan to do something you KNOW will trigger a headache, taking one of these painkillers beforehand may help. Your doctor MAY prescribe narcotic pain relievers, muscle relaxants, or other medicines, but after a while you may start getting rebound headaches BECAUSE you are taking medicines. The best thing you can do if you get a lot of tension headaches is to lower your stress level, and the tension level in your head, neck, and shoulder muscles. Take breaks at the computer, learn to relax, avoid stressful situations, and make quiet time for yourself.

  • Headache

    Headache

    Headaches are usually caused by either muscle tension, vascular problems, or both. Migraines are vascular in origin, and may be preceded by visual disturbances, loss of peripheral vision, and fatigue. Most headaches can be relieved or ameliorated by over-the-counter pain medications.

    Headache

    illustration

  • Vascular headaches

    Vascular headaches

    Migraine is the most common vascular headache. Vascular headaches are caused by blood vessel abnormalities, which by turn constrict and open blood vessels in the head.

    Vascular headaches

    illustration

  • Pain of cluster headache

    Pain of cluster headache

    The symptoms of a cluster headache include stabbing severe pain behind or above one eye or in the temple. Tearing of the eye, congestion in the associated nostril, and pupil changes and eyelid drooping may also occur.

    Pain of cluster headache

    illustration

  • Migraine headache

    Migraine headache

    Symptoms of a migraine attack may include heightened sensitivity to light and sound, nausea, auras (loss of vision in one eye or tunnel vision), difficulty of speech and intense pain predominating on one side of the head.

    Migraine headache

    illustration

  • Tension-type headache

    Tension-type headache

    The most common cause of tension-type headaches is muscle contraction in the head, neck or shoulders.

    Tension-type headache

    illustration

  • Causes of secondary headache

    Causes of secondary headache

    Temporomandibular joint, or TMJ, dysfunction, can be a cause of secondary headache. Secondary headaches result from underlying disorders which produce pain as a symptom. The TMJ may become painful and dysfunctional as a result of incorrect alignment of teeth and jaws. In severe cases, the TMJ may require surgical correction.

    Causes of secondary headache

    illustration

  • Cluster headache - Animation

    Cluster headache

    Animation

    • Cluster headache - Animation

    Do you sometimes feel really bad pain on one side of your head and face? Do your eyes tear up at the same time? If so, you may be experiencing a cluster headache. Cluster headaches are a fairly common form of repeated headaches. Men get them more often than women, usually in adolescence and middle age. And they tend to run in families. Although we don't know why they happen, they appear to be related to your body releasing chemicals when you encounter things like alcohol, high altitudes, bright light, and heat, among other triggers like certain foods. A cluster headache starts suddenly, and it can be severe. It commonly strikes two to three hours after you fall asleep. But you might get one while you're awake too. Either way, you'll tend to get a headache at the same time of day. The pain typically occurs on one side of your head. You may feel like your head is burning, and the pain will probably be sharp and steady, the worst of it often lasting as long as two hours. You may get headaches daily for months, which is why they're called cluster headaches. Then they may go away for months, only to come back. Your doctor will give you a physical exam and ask questions about your symptoms and medical history. You may need an MRI to rule out other headache causes. Unfortunately, treatment won't cure your cluster headaches, but it should relieve your symptoms. Your doctor will ask you to avoid things that seem to trigger your headaches. You may need medicines such as triptans, several weeks of an anti-inflammatory steroid, oxygen therapy, or even injections of a drug that can stop a headache in five minutes. Call for an appointment with your doctor if cluster headaches do not respond to treatment, if they disturb sleep, if they happen whenever you are active, or are accompanied by other symptoms. Emergency symptoms include drowsiness, vision changes, changes in movement or sensation, seizures, changes in alertness, and nausea or vomiting. Cluster headaches aren't life-threatening, but they ARE chronic and often painful enough to interfere with your work and daily life. But if you don't smoke or drink alcohol, and stay away from other triggers, you can avoid a lot of your headaches.

  • Tension headache - Animation

    Tension headache

    Animation

    • Tension headache - Animation

    Do you often feel pain or discomfort in your head, scalp, or neck? Do your muscles get tight in these areas? If the answer is yes, you may suffer from tension headaches. Tension headaches are one of the most common forms of headaches. You can get them at any age, but they mostly happen in adults and adolescents. Tension headaches occur when your neck and scalp muscles get tense, or contract. These muscle contractions can typically be a response to stress, depression, a head injury, or anxiety. Often, you can get a tension headache when you hold your head in one position for a long time without moving it. Prime examples are typing at a computer, doing fine work with your hands, and using a microscope. You can even get a tension headache from sleeping in a cold room, from a cold, from drinking too much alcohol or caffeine, or from dental problems. If you have tension headaches, you'd probably describe your pain as being Dull, pressure-like and not throbbing. You may say it feels like a tight band or vice around your head. It may be all over, not just in one point or on one side of your head or it could be worse in your scalp, temples, or the back of your head, and maybe even your shoulders. Your doctor will ask you about what may be triggering your headaches. In fact, it's a good idea to keep a diary when you get headaches, and take it with you when you see your doctor. When you get a headache, write down the day and time the pain began. Include notes about what you ate and drank in the previous 24 hours, how much you slept and when, and what was going on in your life immediately before the pain started. Write down how long the headache lasted, and what made it stop. For some people, taking hot or cold showers or baths may relieve a headache. You may need to make lifestyle changes if you have a lot of tension headaches. For example, you made need to change your sleep habits, usually you'll need more sleep, get more exercise, and stretch your neck and back muscles. Your doctor may tell you to take over-the-counter painkillers, such as aspirin, ibuprofen, or acetaminophen if relaxation techniques do not work. If you plan to do something you KNOW will trigger a headache, taking one of these painkillers beforehand may help. Your doctor MAY prescribe narcotic pain relievers, muscle relaxants, or other medicines, but after a while you may start getting rebound headaches BECAUSE you are taking medicines. The best thing you can do if you get a lot of tension headaches is to lower your stress level, and the tension level in your head, neck, and shoulder muscles. Take breaks at the computer, learn to relax, avoid stressful situations, and make quiet time for yourself.

  • Headache

    Headache

    Headaches are usually caused by either muscle tension, vascular problems, or both. Migraines are vascular in origin, and may be preceded by visual disturbances, loss of peripheral vision, and fatigue. Most headaches can be relieved or ameliorated by over-the-counter pain medications.

    Headache

    illustration

  • Vascular headaches

    Vascular headaches

    Migraine is the most common vascular headache. Vascular headaches are caused by blood vessel abnormalities, which by turn constrict and open blood vessels in the head.

    Vascular headaches

    illustration

  • Pain of cluster headache

    Pain of cluster headache

    The symptoms of a cluster headache include stabbing severe pain behind or above one eye or in the temple. Tearing of the eye, congestion in the associated nostril, and pupil changes and eyelid drooping may also occur.

    Pain of cluster headache

    illustration

  • Migraine headache

    Migraine headache

    Symptoms of a migraine attack may include heightened sensitivity to light and sound, nausea, auras (loss of vision in one eye or tunnel vision), difficulty of speech and intense pain predominating on one side of the head.

    Migraine headache

    illustration

  • Tension-type headache

    Tension-type headache

    The most common cause of tension-type headaches is muscle contraction in the head, neck or shoulders.

    Tension-type headache

    illustration

  • Causes of secondary headache

    Causes of secondary headache

    Temporomandibular joint, or TMJ, dysfunction, can be a cause of secondary headache. Secondary headaches result from underlying disorders which produce pain as a symptom. The TMJ may become painful and dysfunctional as a result of incorrect alignment of teeth and jaws. In severe cases, the TMJ may require surgical correction.

    Causes of secondary headache

    illustration

 

Review Date: 11/9/2021

Reviewed By: Joseph V. Campellone, MD, Department of Neurology, Cooper Medical School at Rowan University, Camden, NJ. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

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